Former Nebraska Volleyball’s legendary coach John Cook, who now serves as co-owner and general manager of the Omaha Supernovas, shared in a recent interview that the franchise will continue to prioritize signing players with Nebraska roots. Cook emphasized that Nebraska fans want to see familiar faces from their favorite programs at the professional level.After leading the Huskers for 25 seasons, Cook announced his retirement in January 2025, with former Husker standout Dani Busboom Kelly taking over as the fourth head coach in program history.Cook’s coaching career at Nebraska began in 2000, when he won an NCAA title in his debut season. He went on to capture three more national championships with the Huskers in 2006, 2015, and 2017. Following retirement, Cook also stepped into broadcasting, making his TV debut on the Big Ten Network during Nebraska’s spring exhibition match against the Kansas Jayhawks.In his new role with the Supernovas, Cook reiterated his focus on keeping Nebraska ties strong within the roster:“Nebraska fans want to see former Nebraska players, and that has always been a goal , to sign players that have Nebraska connections. That will continue to be a priority, especially with the draft coming up in November,” John Cook said.Cook further explained the vision of building a pipeline that allows athletes from Nebraska programs, such as Nebraska, Creighton, UNO, or even Wayne State, to continue their careers while staying connected to fans in the state.“Let’s build a pipeline where, when you play at Nebraska or Creighton, or UNO, or maybe Wayne State, you have a chance to go somewhere and still stay connected. Fans here connect with those people, and that will be part of the goal, to build this team with Nebraska roots,” former Nebraska volleyball coach added. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostRecently, former Nebraska middle blocker Leyla Blackwell signed with the Omaha Supernovas for the 2026 season, joining former Nebraska Volleyball players Kaitlyn Hord and Merritt Beason on the roster.Nebraska Volleyball 2025 season debutNCAA VOLLEYBALL: DEC 15 Division I Regional Final - Wisconsin vs Nebraska - Source: GettyThe Nebraska volleyball team will open its 2025 season Friday against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the AVCA First Serve tournament. Nebraska is coming off a stellar 33-3 season that ended with a trip to the NCAA Semifinals, while Pittsburgh finished 33-2 last year.The match is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT and will be broadcast on FOX as well as streamed live on Fubo.